Tips for Providing Therapy in the Home

Providing services within a child's home, daycare, or another natural environment such as a library can be an excellent opportunity to see a child in their day-to-day lives. It is a great way to create a further bond with a parent or caregiver, help family members troubleshoot difficult everyday tasks, aid a daycare teacher with ideas to best support a child in their daily routine, support siblings in the home, and fully support a child's development by supporting the whole family. Coming into a child's home is a great way to get the full picture of a child; however, sometimes safety concerns can come into play.

Below are some tips to provide a safe environment and ideas on how to get the most out of your in-home therapy session.

Tips for Providing Therapy in the Home and Safety Awareness

• Remind families to confirm their therapy session and have the home ready. This includes putting animals away due to safety and allergies and asking about food allergies (including nuts and peanuts). Let parents know to cancel with as much notice as possible.
  
  
• Remind families to let daycare know you're coming. If a family lives in an apartment with a locked front door, make sure the family knows where to meet you and where you can park.
  
  
• If the location is in an unsafe environment, go in pairs. This is a great option to co-treat. Also make sure your employer is aware. Contact Child Protective Services (CPS) if you have any safety concerns. You can also offer other community options such as a library or daycare.
  
  
• Contact your employer if you feel unsafe around a parent or family member. Leave the location if you are feeling unsafe.
  
  
• Ask families to let you know if anyone in the house is sick (such as siblings). This includes vomiting, fever, hand, foot, and mouth disease, severe cough, or pink eye. Let parents know it's best to cancel or offer telehealth. Explain that children don't learn well when they're not feeling well and that rest is best. Also note that therapists visit other families' homes with children who are medically fragile - a sick visit can spread illness to those children, to other families, and to the therapist, which could mean several future sessions canceled. Also recommend that families contact their primary care provider (PCP) if you have concerns about the child's health. Sometimes families may not know when to contact their child's doctor.
  
  
• If there is an open CPS case, keep an open line of communication with the case worker. The case worker will let you know if there are any changes.
  
  
• Siblings can be included in sessions, but if they are too distracting, give families ideas about keeping siblings engaged. Sometimes having a special toy or activity in your therapy bag for that sibling can help.
  
  
• Sometimes during a home visit, you may have concerns about the development of a sibling. Be open to recommending services to parents.
  
  
• When driving, avoid unsafe conditions. If roads are unsafe due to snow or ice, offer telehealth or reschedule. Don't rush to be on time for an appointment because of road conditions.